


Friendship

by jujubiest



Series: Gotham [3]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Ficlet, Set during S1, conflicted Jim
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-03
Updated: 2016-01-03
Packaged: 2018-05-11 11:06:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5624701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jujubiest/pseuds/jujubiest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim's friendship with Oswald Cobblepot has him doing some painful self-examination.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Friendship

**Author's Note:**

> Set during season one, at the point where Jim comes to warn Cobblepot about impending police action.

He can’t help but feel a twinge of guilt. Not for his involvement with Penguin…but for the look on Penguin’s face when he rebuked him.

Oswald—Penguin—has been a friend to him, in his own twisted way. Always there, ready to pick up where Jim’s cop rules force him to leave off. Always so sickenly _happy_ to see him, to hear from him, even though all Jim does is turn up time and again, demanding favors.

Jim had thought—had told himself—that coming to him alone first, giving him some kind of warning, was his way of being a friend in return, of paying back a little of what he owes the other man in grace and gratitude. But the truth is so much uglier than that, uglier even than willingly enabling a criminal’s escape, if that’s possible.

He doesn’t examine too closely that there are now things he considers worse than betraying his oath as a cop, things directly related to the look of hurt on Oswald’s pale, pointed face.

The truth is that he doesn’t _want_ Penguin caught…because he doesn’t want Penguin to reveal the truth of their association. He’s ashamed of this connection between them, however tenuous and necessary and reluctantly-forged it may be. He isn’t sure he could hold his head up anymore if anyone knew that he, upright upholder of the law Jim Gordon, had tried and failed to do things by the book, and had decided to get his job done the underhanded way. How would he look at Harvey, or Lee, if they knew he’d gotten into bed with Oswald Cobblepot?

Metaphorically speaking.

God. He’s a sorry excuse for a cop as well as a friend.


End file.
